Petal Bead Tutorial
I first successfully made a petal bead in March 2010 and after I'd danced around the studio in celebration, I thought the bead reminded me of a clover flower. I have also seen them referred to as chrysanthemum and lotus flower beads. Now I don't profess to have invented this type of bead, I couldn't tell you who did but through trial and error I discovered how to make them and this guide will teach you the way I do it.
It is a technique focused soft glass (COE104) tutorial of 15 pages taking you through a 25 step guide with photographs on making the bead on the cover photo.
To complete it you will need:
2mm mandrels.
Effetre 006 clear, light ivory and Double Helix Terranova 2 OR ANY COLOURS OF YOUR CHOICE.
Optional:
Double Helix Zephyr
Graphite round bead roller
Brass marver or top of a press.
In addition to the tutorial there is a whole page dedicated to dot placement and my tips on how to perfect them so even if you have only a little lampworking experience your beads should benefit in general and with a bit of practice you should be able to produce petal beads you are happy with.
There are 2 pages of inspiration photographs at the end.
It's a pdf file which is just over 5MB in size which if you wish to print it works well as an A5 booklet.
I politely ask that you do not pass the tutorial on to anyone in file format or printed copy. Feel free to make the beads for your own use as well as for sale.
